A: If pressed to answer today, we would say the Cowboys’ opening day left tackle starter will be Doug Free, but the starting free safety is not yet on the roster. The Cowboys apparently love what they have in Free and are unconcerned about his transition to left tackle. He is extremely athletic and should at least be an upgrade in pass protection (we gave Adams a ‘D+’ in pass protection in 2009 ).

At safety, we simply cannot see the team starting either Alan Ball or Michael Hamlin. Ball played decent last season against the pass, but was atrocious against the run (we gave him a ‘C+’ overall grade ). The organization really likes the potential of the “new Hamlin,” but he is, of course, an unproven commodity. If the Cowboys don’t add a free safety, Ball and Hamlin will battle in camp for the starting job.

The Cowboys will probably select a free safety in the early rounds of this year’s draft. The problem is that the top-tier guys at the position will be gone by the Cowboys’ 27th overall selection, so they will likely have to settle on a player like USF’s Nate Allen or Georgia Tech’s Morgan Burnett . Are these players immediate upgrades over Ball and Hamlin? We may soon find out.